1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cooking appliance, and more particularly, to a cooking appliance with a drawer in which an item to be heated is placed, wherein the drawer can be withdrawn from the main unit of the cooking appliance.
2. Description of the Background Art
Such a conventional drawer-type cooking appliance employing a configuration that allows the heating item mounting unit of a heating chamber to be pulled out is proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 03-045820, 06-109257, and 11-237053.
The door closure device of the cooking appliance disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 03-045820 includes a main unit with a cooking chamber in which an item to be heated is placed, a door shielding the cooking chamber from the atmosphere, a bottom panel in cooperation with the door, and a slide mechanism for sliding the bottom panel smoothly. FIG. 11 is a schematic side sectional view of the door closure device of the conventional cooking appliance disclosed therein.
As shown in FIG. 11, a main unit 1 includes a heating chamber 3, The closure device is adapted to pull out/push in a drawer unit 2 including a door 4 and a bottom panel 16 from/into a heating chamber 3 by means of a slide mechanism. An item to be heated 6 is placed on bottom panel 16. The slide mechanism is adapted such that rollers 17 and 18 fixed in heating chamber 3 of main unit 1 sandwich a bent of bottom panel 16.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 06-109257 discloses a cooking appliance with a drawer in which an item to be heated is placed, wherein the drawer can be withdrawn from the main unit of the cooking appliance. By virtue of detection means for detecting pull-out of the drawer, upset of the cooking appliance is obviated to allow a drawer-type cooking appliance to be used in always a stable state.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-237053 discloses a microwave oven adapted to prevent leakage of electromagnetic waves even if the food item mounting unit is configured in a movable drawer structure. FIG. 12 is a schematic side sectional view of the conventional microwave oven disclosed therein.
Referring to FIG. 12, a heating receptacle 5 having an opening at the top is provided so as to be withdrawn arbitrarily from a main unit 1. An item to be heated 6 is placed in heating receptacle 5. A lid 19 covering the opening of heating receptacle 5, heating receptacle 5 and provided at the main unit side 1 constitute a heating chamber 3 that shuts microwaves. By providing a choke groove 20 between the circumference portion of heating chamber 5 and lid 19 corresponding to this circumference portion of heating chamber 5, leakage of microwaves can be prevented.
In accordance with the door closure device of the cooking appliance disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 03-045820, bottom panel 16 can slide within heating chamber 3 by being sandwiched between the two rollers 17 and 18 fixed within heating chamber 3 of main unit 1. Since the slide mechanism is provided inside the heating chamber, the components constituting the slide mechanism will be heated to a high temperature corresponding to the interior of the heating chamber attaining a high temperature during the heating process of the item to be heated. Accordingly, the slide mechanism must be formed by costly components and/or material that is highly heat-resistant and fire-resistant, leading to the problem of increase in the fabrication cost. Furthermore, provision of the slide mechanism in the heating chamber constitutes a factor for causing discharge by microwaves.
It is to be noted that Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 06-109257 and 11-237053 are silent about a slide mechanism to smoothly withdraw a drawer unit from the main unit, a configuration of such a mechanism, and the site of arrangement thereof.